


LazyFields

by OtterlyDeerlightful



Category: LazyTown, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Combination of original content and paralelles to episodes, F/M, Gen, LazyTown-centric stories, M/M, Mane Six and others may or may not show up, Ponifying LazyTown characters, Slowest Burn, characters have secrets, magic and zebras and sportscandy oh my, oh noes, this is gonna be a long project, will add tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 18:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12917775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterlyDeerlightful/pseuds/OtterlyDeerlightful
Summary: Everything was just fine in LazyFields...until that darned flippy-floppy Sportapegasus showed up! Now Rotten Robinsong has to figure out how to get things back to normal and get those darned foals to stop being so disgustingly active!





	LazyFields

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter follows the LazyTown pilot pretty darn closely, but future chapters won't always follow the show so...idenitcal. While I plan to incorporate a lot of them into the AU, this world will not be entirely identical to canon LazyTown, and I do plan on adding in some original stuff along the way, too.
> 
> Comment and let me know how you feel--what you like, what you don't, your dreams and dreads for what might happen...comments really keep me going and, who knows, maybe what you say will influence what comes later!

It was another lovely day in LazyFields. To be specific, it was a _quiet_ day in LazyFields. Quiet and perfect. Which was exactly how Rotten Robinsong liked it. The violet unicorn gave a grand yawn before he settled down in his comfortably fuzzy chair for his mid-morning post-delicious-breakfast-cake nap. Yes, LazyFields was the perfect place for him. The town was small, stable, and predictable, and it suited his needs almost perfectly. In all his travels, he had yet to find a place that even came close to the solitude and freedom that the small town allowed him. No town was a perfect utopia, of course, but, Rotten Robinsong decided as he drifted on the edge of sleep, that LazyFields came close enough.

“Wow, this place looks great!”

The unicorn opened one eye. What was that?

“Huh. I wonder where everypony is…”

His other eye opened, both filled with the utmost alarm from the sound of an unfamiliar voice echoing through his lair. Rotten Robinsong’s head shot up in an instant. Who was talking?

“Maybe they’re just all inside…on a…beautiful day,” the small voice continued uncertainly.

“No,” the stallion whispered. “S-someone new in LazyFields?” he asked no one in particular.

No one new _ever_ came to LazyFields. The occasional traveling merchant, sure, but they were always in-and-out. And this did _not_ sound like a merchant. Whoever was talking was different. And different meant dangerous.

Rotten leapt from the comfort of his orange chair and raced for his periscope. He pulled it down, hooking his hooves over the short handlebars as he scanned the area. Where were they? His speakers had picked up _someone_ lurking about up there. It was just a matter of finding—

“Ah-ha! There’s the little demon!” he snapped.

A giant pink _something_ obscured the entire viewing screen. Wow that was a lot of pink. Oh, and that was an eye! Definitely an eye.

“What’s this?” he heard the obnoxiously cute little pony ask as she inspected his periscope.

Rotten yelped in a sudden wave of panic. She could see him! Oh, she could see him. Abort! Abort _now_! He pulled back sharply, soon finding himself tripping on his own hooves and tumbling down the stairs. He landed in a heap at the bottom, an impossible knot of limbs mixed with a deep scowl.

“That filly is trouble,” he decided sullenly as he tried to untangle himself.

*****

The filly, meanwhile, was busy blinking in confused surprise at where a set of eyes had been just moments earlier. As soon as she had gotten close to inspect the strange object, it had quickly retracted into the ground and disappeared. And she swore she had heard someone shout, but…maybe that had been her imagination? Either way, that had been…strange. This entire _town_ was getting stranger by the minute, if she was being honest with herself. Aside from the strange little eyeball thing that had run away from her as quickly as it had appeared, LazyFields seemed to be entirely deserted.

“Starberry! Starberry, over here!”

Young Starberry Splitz looked around at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name. A bright and cheery smile spread across her face when she caught sight of her beloved uncle, Sincerely Meanswell. The stout earth pony trotted out to meet her, wrapping a foreleg over her shoulder and pulling her close for a hug. She nuzzled into his tan coat and waggled her tail with glee.

“I’ve missed you, Uncle Meanswell!”

“I’ve missed you, too, my little Starberry! Though, I guess I won’t be able to call you _little_ for much longer—my, how you’ve grown since I last saw you! How was your trip?”

The stallion finally let his niece go to take a step back and look at her. Starberry was still showing off her beautiful smile. The little filly had come to live with him for a few months, though Sincerely Meanswell secretly hoped that she would stay for much longer. His niece had always been a wonderful and sweet foal, and she didn’t deserve any of the undue hardship that had befallen her family over the last few years. Truth be told, he was both amazed and proud of how chipper the filly seemed to be. Now that she was here, he intended to keep that smile of hers right where it was.

“It was great. The train was really neat, and all the scenery I got to see was _beautiful_!”

He laughed. “Well, I’m glad. Can I help you with your bags?” he asked, nodding toward the saddlebags draped over her back.

She looked from side to side at her bags, each of them emblazoned with a reproduction of her cutie mark, a heart-shaped strawberry with the flag of a musical note for its leaf. Starberry shook her head in reply. “No thanks, Uncle Meanswell. I’ve got them—I’m stronger than I look!” she said, sticking out her chest to emphasize her point.

The stallion chuckled. “I can see that! Well, come on. Let’s get you settled. I was just going to start dinner in a little while. I admit, I haven’t cooked anything in some time. We’ll have to take extra precautions to see that I don’t accidentally burn the house down!”

Starberry giggled as she trotted past him after he opened the front door for her. “Oh, Uncle Meanswell, you’re so funny!”

The station blinked and wrinkled his nose. Funny? Had he made a joke? He shrugged and headed inside after his niece.

*****

The tiny foal licked the lollipop he carried with him as he trotted down the street toward his friend Pixel’s house. He hummed a little tune as he went, refusing to walk on more than three legs while his beloved piece of candy still existed. He had short stubby legs as it was, so it made for a slow trip, but the lovely taste on his tongue was worth the sacrifice.

_Bink!_

The tiny earth pony paused mid-step and mid-lick when he heard the strange sound.

_Boink!_

The colt looked over toward the park. From somewhere beyond the park wall, he spotted a brightly colored ball flying up into the air. It arched, as if changing its mind about the whole business of flying in general, and plummeted back toward the ground.

_Bump!_

What in Equestria was going on over there? He chomped down on his lollipop, not wanting to lose the precious thing, and scurried toward the park to see what was happening. Whatever it was, it sure looked interesting. By the time he reached the wall, the little pony was huffing and puffing out of the sides of his mouth, his teeth still firmly embedded in the large piece of candy. The little colt hadn’t known what mysterious thing he might find on the other side of the park wall, but a light pink earth pony bouncing her ball hadn’t even in the top ten. Though now that he thought about, maybe it should have been. The dragon that hiccupped toys probably _shouldn’t_ have been his go-to theory.

“Oh!”

_Bonk!_

“Hi!” the filly greeted, immediately grabbing her ball and grounding it in favor of meeting a new friend. “I’m Starberry Splitz. I was starting to think the entire town was just me and Uncle Meanswell! What’s your name? Are there any other foals in town who might want to play?” she asked with a cock of her head.

The colt sat down on the ground and pulled the lollipop out of his mouth.

“I’m Ziggy Zweets! Are you new in town? Oh, oh! Do you have any candy?”

The filly’s ears tilted back ever so slightly, having hoped to get a little more information before being asked some questions herself, but oh well. Ziggy seemed nice, at least. And he may want to play with her, too!

“Uh, sorry, no candy. But, yeah—I just got here today. I’m staying with my uncle for a little bit. Where _is_ everyone? This whole town is empty. I was hoping to find somepony to play with, but you’re the first one I’ve seen!”

“Oh, that’s ‘cause everyone’s playing over at Pixel’s place! He got a brand new game and wanted to show it off—oh, no! I’m _super_ late now, aren’t I? Hey, you wanna come? You can meet everyone.”

The pink filly smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like fun!”

“Okay, then come on!” Ziggy said cheerfully, sticking his lollipop back in his mouth before he got up to lead his new friend to his old friend’s house.

Starberry rolled her eyes at the little foal’s candy-centric antics. She grabbed her small satchel, threw her ball inside, and slung it over her back. Ziggy hadn’t noticed and was already trotting out of the park. She shook her head in amusement and bounded over to catch up. It certainly wasn’t hard, not with her new friend’s short legs. She walked beside the rotund little colt as he trotted along, his red superhero-esque cape flapping along behind him.

“You sure like candy, huh?”

The foal looked up at her with giant eyes. “Oh y’ah! I lo’e ‘anby!” he proclaimed out of the corners of his mouth, his words obscured by the very item of his desire. “I e’ it all t’e time!”

“I see,” the filly replied with a little giggle. She thought to herself a moment as they walked along. “It’s such a beautiful day out today. How come everyone is _inside_ playing games?”

“’Ell, ‘cau’e t’e ‘un ‘akes it ‘ard t’ see t’e sc’een!”

She blinked, not quite able to figure out that part of the conversation. Maybe trying to talk to Ziggy while he had a firm hold on his lollipop wasn’t the best idea. The colt didn’t seem too bothered by the breakdown in communication, though. Oh well. They would be at his friend’s house soon enough, and then Starberry would be able to see what was going on for herself.

She was so preoccupied with trying to figure out Ziggy’s babblings that the pink pony didn’t notice the large pair of eyes watching she and her new friend from the bushes.

“She wants to play _outside_?” Rotten Robinsong asked aloud as he peered once again through his periscope. “ _Why_? All that running and jumping and eye-searing sunlight! What is she, crazy? I need to keep an eye on this little hooligan or she’ll ruin _everything_!”

He grumbled to himself as he watched the two foals walk up to Pixel’s house, soon disappearing inside. So much for that. The unicorn dismissed his periscope and huffed in annoyance. If he was going to nip this problem in the bud, it looked like he was going to have to go topside and do it in person. Yuck.

*****

Pixel’s room was…dark. The only light source came from the artificial glow from various computer monitors and the large television screen where Starberry Splitz could see three new foals staring intently at the flashing colors and strange sounds coming out of the room’s speaker system. In the dim light, she could see that two of them were unicorns and one, apparently the ringleader based on how they were all seated, was a pegasus. He was using both his hooves and wings to manipulate the strange-looking game controls and looked fully engrossed in whatever enemy he happened to be facing.

Ziggy pulled the tooth mark-ridden lollipop out of his mouth and licked his lips before addressing his friends. “Hi, guys!”

“Hey Ziggy,” one of the unicorns muttered without so much as prying their eyes from the television screen.

“Yeah, hi.”

The little foal didn’t seem to notice their disinterest. “This is Starberry Splitz! She’s new in town and—”

“Hang on, Ziggy, I’m right in the middle of a boss fight!”

“Yeah, but—I brought Starberry here to meet everyone and she—”

The pegasus—Pixel, apparently—paused his game and looked up in annoyance. “Ziggy, you’re always…”

The colt’s words were forgotten when he spotted the outline of his friend’s new companion in the darkness. He hit a button on a nearby remote and the lights in the room turned on section by section. The two unicorns groaned as the sudden brightness hurt their eyes, and even Starberry and Ziggy had to squint momentarily as their eyes adjusted to the light.

“Hi!” Starberry greeted with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you all!”

Everyone stared at the pink newcomer. Starberry looked between them all in turn. Ziggy was undoubtedly the youngest of the group, because everyone else looked much closer to her own age.

“This Pixel Hyperbyte,” Ziggy introduced, gesturing to the pale green Pegasus with an orange mane so thick that it had arranged itself into tight locks. He wore some kind of strange contraption on his head that covered his ears and were connected by a visor.

“And Trixie Troubleby—” Starberry smiled at the light red filly with chocolate-and-cream colored hair arranged in multiple pigtails who gave her a quick wave but otherwise looked more suspicious than excited to meet someone new.

“And, and that’s Stingy Spoilero,” Ziggy finished as he pointed at the second unicorn, this one a bright yellow colt with brown hair. Around his collar sat a distinguished red bowtie.

“Hi, everyone!”

Ziggy kept talking. “This is Starberry Splitz,” he repeated. “She just moved in with Mayor Meanswell!”

She nodded. “He’s my uncle,” she elaborated. “I’ve come to live in LazyFields for a little while. I was looking for some new friends to play with, and I ran into Ziggy in the park.”

“Welcome to LazyFields, Pinky!” the filly as she started to relax in the newcomer’s presence. “We don’t get much fresh meat around here!”

“Yeah,” the other unicorn agreed. “We _never_ get new ponies in LazyFields.”

Pixel was oddly silent, simply staring at the filly. Starberry frowned with worry. Was he okay, or had playing for so long in the dim light messed with his eyes a little too much? Maybe she should say something.

“D-does anyone want to play?” she asked hopefully. “I brought a ton of stuff with me from home!”

“We’re _already_ playing!” Trixie said, making a face like Starberry had just sprouted a second head.

That seemed to get Pixel to snap out of whatever stupor he was in. “Yeah!” the Pegasus suddenly cried. “You should play, too! This game’s got, like, five hundred levels and every world has a unique theme and the character designs are—”

“N-no, I mean play a game _outside_.”

Everyone, even little Ziggy, stopped and stared at Staberry like she had just told them aliens had invaded the planet. She slowly looked between all the shocked faces that suddenly seemed to surround her.

“Outside?” the unicorn named Stingy finally asked. “Why would we want to do that?”

Now it was Starberry’s turn to look puzzled. “Well, because it’s _fun_!” she laughed. “All the sunshine and fresh air! Running around…you know… _playing_.”

They all continued to stare. Starberry sighed and reached around to her satchel to pull out a soccer ball.

“Oh wow, that ball’s really cool-looking!” Ziggy said in wonderment.

Starberry sat, holding the ball between her hooves. “It’s a soccer ball. Y-you’ve never seen a soccer ball before?” she asked in dismay.

“Only in Pixel’s games,” Trixie answered. “I didn’t realize they were so big!”

“So you’ve never played soccer before?”

Everypony shook their heads.

“Baseball?”

They shook their heads again.

“Tennis? Basketball? Buckball?”

Nothing.

Oh no, this wouldn’t do at all. What kind of _lives_ have these ponies lead that they had never seen a soccer ball before? Starberry started to toss the ball from hoof to hoof. She knew it probably looked like she was showing off, but it definitely seemed to catch everyone’s interest, and that’s what mattered.

“Well then _I_ have an idea,” she said, getting up and tossing the ball up, catching it with her saddle bag. “Follow me, guys!”

With that, she dashed back outside. The young ponies all glanced at each other before dropping their video game and racing out to see what their new friend had in mind. Ziggy lagged behind slightly, huffing and puffing and trying to yell around his lollipop for the others to wait for him.

*****

Rotten Robinsong pushed the lid to his lair closed with a loud bang. He breathed heavily for a moment, his long limbs sprawled over the metal cover as he laid there in recovery. He clearly needed to get out more if that was so strenuous. Oh well, that was a problem for future Rotten. _Present_ Rotten had an entirely different problem going on, and he could hear it all the way out here!

The stallion grumbled in annoyed determination as he straightened his vest. Time to put an end to this nonsense. He stalked down toward the town, his tail flicking to and fro in agitation as he went.

It wasn’t hard to find the pink filly and her entourage, what with all the laughing and singing—actual singing!—that was going on in the middle of the park. He crept up to the wall like a shadow, his ears pinned back in a sad attempt to block out as much of the noise as possible.

“Life is full of games my _eye_ ,” he grumbled as he peeked over the wall, watching the gaggle of foals bounce around like lunatics. “ _Ugh_ , just _watching_ them is exhausting,” the stallion hissed in disgust.

And then, like a gift from the heavens themselves, Rotten Robinsong was hoof-delivered the perfect opportunity to end the madness altogether. One of the little ponies kicked the pink one’s ball with a little too much fervor, and over the wall it went. And not just _any_ portion of the wall, but _his_ bit of wall, mere inches from where he sat spying and scheming. He grabbed it with ease and an enormous, malicious grin spread across his face. He could hear the small cries of dismay on the other side the wall as the group threw just enough blame at one another to delay the retrieval of their ball. He stood up, holding the soccer ball high over his head in triumph as the little ponies gasped in surprise at the appearance of the angry stallion.

“ _Rotten Robinsong!_ ”

Starberry gave the adult a troubled look before turning to her friends for some kind of clarification. “Who?”

Trixie spoke up first. “He’s the meanest, laziest, grumpiest pony in LazyFields! He’s _bad news_ , Pinky.”

The tall, thin stallion before them grinned as he strolled into the park with his head held high. He tossed the soccer ball into the air. A thin halo of orange glowed around both the ball and the unicorn’s horn as he stalked toward the foals, the object now suspended mid-air beside him.

“Why, _Thank you_ ,” the smug-looking unicorn said with a dramatic bow, his protruding chin almost scraping the ground. “Took years of practice and an incredible amount of natural talent!”

The group scowled at him. In spite of the pony’s theatrics and apparently _rotten_ reputation, Starberry took a few steps forward to address the unicorn. She didn’t notice the shock on her friend’s faces.

“Hello, Mister Rotten Robinsong,” she said respectfully with a welcoming smile. “My name’s Starberry Splitz. Thank you for finding our ball—”

“ _My_ ball,” came a tiny whisper from somewhere behind her.

“—Would you like to play with us?”

There was a chorus of small gasps from behind her.

The unicorn’s ears immediately flew back in disgust and his smile turned into an appalled sneer. “Play with you?” he asked sharply. “ _Play_ with you?” he repeated, looking like he was trying to spit out something that tasted terrible. “ _Absolutely not_! Your so-called fun-and-games is a noisy nuisance and a plague upon society! Don’t you know people are trying to _sleep_ at this hour!”

Starberry cast a skeptical eye skyward at the beautiful blue canvas speckled with fluffy white clouds.

The unicorn scowled and stamped a hoof before reaching into his vest to suddenly produce what looked like a bouquet. Of candy. He waved it in front of little Ziggy, whose eyes seemed to slowly grow to the size of his own head at the sight of it.

“Would ya like these?” Robinsong asked with a mischievous grin.

“Y-yes, oh yes,” the littlest of the ponies whispered in awe as he began salivating at the mere thought of having all the delicious candy before him.

“If I give this to you, will you go away?” Robinsong asked with a frown.

“I’m already gone!” Ziggy cried, much to Starberry’s dismay.

The unicorn tossed the bundle of candy to the foal and grinned in triumph as the little pony caught it in his mouth and immediately scrambled to leave the scene and enjoy his prize.

“And _how about this_?” Robinsong continued, producing a thin box that floated toward the group’s technologically-inclined pegasus. He grinned and waited.

Pixel pushed up his visor with a feather to get a better look at the object hovering before him. It took only a second for him to gasp in amazement.

“The brand new Power Ponies video game! Battle for Buckingham! Oh my gosh, that hasn’t even hit stores yet! _It doesn’t come out for three weeks_!”

“You wanna play it _now_?” Rotten Robinsong asked slyly.

“More than anything!” the pegasus cried as he pranced in place with wide eyes.

“Then why don’t you?”

“R-really?”

The game floated closer. Pixel Hyperbyte let out a neigh of delight and grabbed the box without any further prompting. He tucked it under his wing and broke into a run, trying to get back home as fast as possible.

The tall unicorn nodded in the direction the colt had just disappeared. “By the way,” he said as he looked at Stingy. “That was yours.”

The yellow pony gasped in horror and took off after his friend. “Wait!” he screamed as he went. “That’s mine! Pixel, come back! That’s _mine_!”

Only the two fillies were left. And Rotten Robinsong knew he had already won. These foals were push-overs. He grinned down at the town’s resident trouble-maker, perfectly prepared for the little monster. He cocked his head as he gazed down at the frowning filly.

“Have you ever heard the sound of a rubber ball breaking a window?” he asked.

While the pink one looked surprised by the question, the pigtailed one suddenly looked interested. She perked one ear forward and shook her head. “Uh-uh,” she mumbled curiously.

“ _Would you like to?_ ” the stallion asked, his grin so wide that the corners of his eyes crinkled with delight.

Now the little filly was _definitely_ interested. “Oh yeahyeahyeahyeah!” she cried in excitement, practically jumping as Robinsong tossed the soccer ball to her with his magic.

The orange halo around the ball was quickly replaced by a red one. Trixie squealed and hurried off with the treasure in search of the perfect window to bust. Starberry watched in open-mouthed shock as her only remaining friend left, leaving her alone with the horrible stallion who, apparently, lived up to his name a little too well. She twisted her face into an angry scowl and glared at the smug-looking pony.

“You didn’t stand a chance,” he said proudly, flashing a toothy smile. “Now why don’t you sit quietly and do nothing like a _good_ little filly? _Hahahaha_!”

Rotten Robinsong’s smile immediately dropped. He spun around and, hunching his shoulders and lowering his head, he stomped off toward home. Starberry Splitz glared at him as he retreated. Somewhere in the distance she could hear what sounded like glass shattering.

The unicorn left the park and sighed. “Thank Celestia _that’s_ over and done with,” he muttered to himself as he went. “At least _now_ those brats will keep quiet and stay put. That stupid new filly better have learned her lesson because— _blech_ —that was exhausting!”

He yawned as he headed back toward the outskirts of town. Time for celebratory cake and maybe finally get around to taking that nap.

*****

Although the awful Rotten Robinsong finally gone, Starberry slowly began to realize that her friends weren’t coming back. She sighed, suddenly feeling lonelier than she had been even before meeting them all. They hadn’t gotten to play together for very long, but everyone had _seemed_ like they were having fun, and it had been really nice to meet some new playmates. While it lasted.

“How can he be so mean?” she mumbled to herself as she slowly headed back to her uncle’s house. “We weren’t hurting anyone. I…I can’t believe he wanted us to stop so bad that he _bribed_ everyone like that!” She sighed, ending in a soft sniffle. “What a rotten pony, that...Rotten.”

She wandered inside and quietly closed the door behind her before dropping her satchel by the door. Starberry could hear her uncle at work in the kitchen, dropping a pan and yelping in surprise as it clattered to the floor. She called a quick greeting, announcing that she was home and was going to be in her room for a little while.

“Dinner will be ready in a little…uh, well, dinner will be ready in a while!” her uncle called back. “You just settle in, Starberry! I’ll be up in a minute!”

The filly sighed and headed to her room. She hopped up on her bed and collapsed in a heap. The filly sniffled lightly and rolled over to pull her journal out of her travel bags that she had left on the bed before going out to play. She grabbed her favorite pencil in her teeth and started writing. Maybe writing her thoughts down would help her to feel better.

_Dear Diary,_

_I’m finally in LazyFields. It’s not exactly what I expected. It’s kind of weird here. None of the kids ever play outside. And there’s this unicorn—his name is Rotten Robinsong—who really did_ not _want us to play at all. I know it’s only my first day here, but I feel kind of lonely. I hope things get better. At least Uncle Meanswell was happy to see me._

She looked up when there was a knock at the door. Her uncle peeked inside and gave her a warm smile, oblivious to how blue his niece was feeling beneath her pink exterior. Starberry set aside her journal to give him her full attention.

“I’m surprised you’re back so soon. Care for a snack? I have cookies downstairs if you’d like some! They’re, uh, store-bought, but they’re delicious!”

Starberry tried to force a smile for her answer. “No thanks, Uncle Meanswell. I’m okay.”

Though she was smiling, her dour tone betrayed her emotions. Her uncle frowned in concern, crossing the room to sit by her side. The little filly sighed, figuring the jig was up.

“What’s wrong, Starberry? You sound so sad. Didn’t you find the other foals? You did go out to meet them, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I met them,” she sighed. “They all seem nice.”

“Then what’s the matter, my dear?”

Starberry Splitz shrugged her little shoulders. “I’m really happy I got to come here to be with you, Uncle Meanswell, but…but LazyFields… Well, none of the other foals play outside! They all want to stay cooped up in the dark and play video games all day. I don’t want to just sit inside and do nothing; I want to run around and _do_ things, but I don’t have anyone who wants to play with me or have any fun outdoors!” She sighed and hung her head. “I just wanted to have some fun and play, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry, Starberry,” the stallion said quietly as he rested a comforting hoof on his niece’s shoulder. “I guess LazyFields _has_ gotten a little quiet over the years.”

That was an understatement, Starberry thought.

“But oh, I remember when I was younger! LazyFields certainly wasn’t nearly as lazy then. Oh, especially once when this wonderful _party pony_ came to town! Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen so much festive…uh, _festiveness_ in all my life! He threw the entire town the biggest party I had ever seen! There was dancing, and games, and decorations, and fun of all kinds! I swear, that party must have lasted for a month straight!” the stallion laughed. “But, eventually, he said he was needed elsewhere, and he left. He said that if he was ever needed again, that we should send him a message, but…I don’t recall him ever telling anyone exactly _how_ to contact him. Hmm…”

Starberry had perked up considerably as she listened to her uncle’s story, but that ending wasn’t quite as triumphant as she had hoped. Her ears drooped, as did her smile.

“But you know,” the older pony continued, “We still _might_ be able to. No one seems to use the old mailbox as much as they used to, but there _should_ still be some magic leftover. Ponies used to drop notes inside the mail tube if they were trying to send a message to someone who was traveling. The spell on the shoot would point their letter in the right direction and find them. Maybe you could try writing that party pony a note and tell him that you would like him to come and throw another party for the town!”

Starberry gasped in delight at the idea. “Do you really think that will work, Uncle?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot. You’ll never know if you don’t try,” he pointed out.

She nodded in utmost agreement. “You’re right, Uncle Meanswell! I _have_ to try!”

The stallion nuzzled his niece’s cheek affectionately. Starberry giggled before giving him a big hug. Her new smile slowly shrank, though, as she sniffed the air.

“Uncle Meanswell…what’s that smell?” she asked, scrunching her nose.

The stallion’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh my! Dinner calls! Good luck, Starberry!”

The little pony snickered at her uncle’s plight, though she did hope things turned out alright. For his sake…and her own taste buds. Oh well. She knew her uncle would be able to handle it—things always managed to work themselves out in the end, after all. Anyway, she was a pony on a mission!

Starberry grabbed her pencil and the nearest piece of paper and quickly scrawled a letter to the mysterious party pony.

 

_To Whom It May Concern…_

_I need some help. There’s no one to play with in LazyFields._

_Sincerely,_

_Starberry Splitz_

 

She was going to find some fun in LazyFields if it was the last thing she did! She grabbed her letter, whipped together a cardboard tube, and raced back outside.

*****

Rotten was beginning to think he would _never_ get his nap. He had tried to sleep, of course, but sleep just wouldn’t come. His mind just couldn’t settle down. The nerve of that filly, thinking she could just waltz into his town, take over, and get everyone to go out and _play_ like a band of little lunatics? He growled in annoyance just thinking about it.

Since he hadn’t been able to sleep, the unicorn had decided to take a trip to the store. He needed some supplies anyway…cake mix, maybe a bolt of fabric or two, definitely needed a few more pins. He swore those stupid things always seemed to disappear into the ether, never to be seen again. Unless he managed to sit on one. That happened more than he’d like to admit.

The clip-clopping of little hooves caught his ear as he passed by the edge of the park. There was a flash of something _pink_ out of the corner of his eye. Rotten screeched to a halt. He whipped his head around and took in the sight before him.

“No,” he whispered, ears falling and eyes widening proportionally.

The pink thing was at the mailbox. She held something in her teeth and he did _not_ like the way she was eyeing the cork he had shoved into the delivery tube. Oh no. No, no, no, no, _no_! He had put that cork there for a reason! The stallion gasped in fear. He dug his hooves into the top of the wall, leaning in as the filly managed to—to his amazement and absolute horror—yank out the cork.

“Don’t. Don’t do it, little girl,” he whispered desperately. “Please. It will only cause trouble!” he whined as he cowered where he stood.

Starberry didn’t hear the unicorn’s quiet pleas. She dropped her message into the tube and, after taking a good look at the sky above, reared up and grabbed the mailbox lever. And pulled.

“No!” Robinsong cried in dismay as he watched the little mail tube shoot into the sky like a rocket.

He held his breath for a moment while the little thing flew through the sky. It disappeared into the clouds and…that was it. It was gone. Rotten Robinsong growled, his anger bubbling again to the surface. That blasted filly! _Twice_ now she had tried to usurp LazyField’s culture and _his_ way of life! This…this was unforgivable.

Starberry kept her eyes on the sky, completely oblivious to the unicorn stewing not far away. She sighed, sitting down as she waited. Rotten noticed how her eyes darted back and forth across the sky and he turned his head to look up himself. Nothing. Same clear blue skies as before. Completely empty…save for a few lazy clouds drifting by. As they should. The unicorn found himself daring to hope.

“M-maybe it won’t work,” he whispered with the inking of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “The magic’s out. Or…or he’s gone. Maybe he’s on vacation. Better yet, maybe he’s retired! _Heh_. I’m saved!” He gave a hopeful laugh.

Said laugh ended up being a little preemptive. Rotten’s jaw fell open when he spotted something fall from the sky. It was small, but that didn’t mean it was any less dangerous. The pink filly caught the paper easily, unfolding the note excitedly to read its contents. The unicorn grit his teeth as he waited in worried anticipation.

“Wh-what is it?” he asked through his tightly clenched teeth.

Starberry’s smile was a bit too wide for his liking as she read the note aloud to herself. “Help is on the way!”

“ _Oh, oh no_ ,” he whispered, shoulders falling.

He slowly turned his eyes skyward again. He could _feel_ himself go pale as a giant blue airship came into view. What. In Equestria. Was that? A shiver ran down his spine. Whatever it was, Rotten Robinsong knew it wasn’t good. Especially for _him_. The large ship passed overhead, bringing with it an ominous shadow of doom. Oh, this was not good.

The ship stopped at the same time as Rotten’s heart. A small opening on the ship’s underside opened and something blue dropped from it.

“Let it just be a trash bag,” he begged as he watched the pony-sized object plummet to earth.

The object pulled up at the last second, a pair of baby blue pegasus wings catching the sunlight at just the right angle so the figure gained a veritable halo around him for a few seconds. A flick of his golden yellow tail added to the effect. He stood on his hind legs atop one of the walls, wings outstretched and forehooves on his hips as he surveyed the scene.

Rotten frowned, immediately disgusted not only with the pegasus’ brilliant smile, but the stupid straight mustache jutting out of his muzzle and the ridiculous blue-and-white getup he wore. Especially the stupid floppy hat sitting atop his head; the hat was the worst part of all of it. It certainly wasn’t the pony that he remembered from that dreadful party years ago, but he could _swear_ the two of them had eerily similar too-happy-for-life smiles. His wishes that the awful party pony would never return had been simultaneously fulfilled and crushed at the same time. Somehow, this guy already felt _worse_.

“Oh no,” he breathed in dismay as he watched the crazy pegasus use one of the wall’s pillars as a launchpad for an overly-showy flip. “Not _another_ one…”

The pink filly, meanwhile, was dancing on the spot, giddy as anything to see that her letter had actually managed to reach someone—and they had answered!

“Are you the traveling party pony?” she asked hopefully.

The pegasus gave a quick laugh and shook his head. “No, sorry—”

The little pony’s face fell, but the pegasus seemed undeterred. He stood on his hind legs and spun around for a second, showing off the large _10_ that covered the back of his vest.

“—I’m Number Ten,” he continued before spinning back around and offering the foal his hoof. “My name’s Sportacus! I’m not a traveling _party pony_ , but I _am_ a traveling hero!”

She giggled and gladly shook his hoof. “I’m Starberry Splitz! Are you a _super_ hero?” she asked in wonder, her big eyes sparkling as she looked over the stranger who had answered her letter.

At that, the larger pony almost looked embarrassed. “Ah, let’s just say I’m a _slightly above-average_ hero,” he answered a little timidly.

Starberry giggled. Oh, she liked this pony already. He may not be the party pony she had been looking for, but finding a genuine hero sure seemed like a good alternative! And his mustache was really neat, too.

“You got my letter?”

“I sure did. It sounded like you were having a bit of a problem down here.”

Starberry nodded sadly. “Yeah. None of the kids in LazyFields want to play outside!”

The hero looked shocked at the news. “That’s terrible! We’ll have to do something about that. Maybe they don’t realize how much fun playing outside can be!”

Rotten Robinsong’s jaw dropped. Oh, this was even worse than he imagined! This was _far worse_ than a stupid party pony coming through the town. Oh, this was dangerous. That blasted hero wanted not _only_ to enforce the pink thing’s little regime of terror, but…as a hero, he was probably an agent of Celestia herself. He had to be, right? If he found out about Rotten…oh, he didn’t even want to _think_ of how things might turn out for him if the princess got her hooves on him. The unicorn shuddered.

“No,” he hissed angrily. “I _won’t_ stand for it! They’re not going to ruin LazyFields. I’ll see to that. I’ve got to get rid of this…this _Sportakook_ as soon as possible!” His life might depend on it.

Thinking quickly, the stallion surveyed his surroundings. What could he do? He had to do _something_ and he had to do it quick. Ah-ha! Yes! Stick with the classics—he could dig a hole and get the hero to fall inside. Perfect! Then he could fill it in, trap him there, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the flippy pegasus ever again! Any maybe, just maybe, he could finally get his nap.

He worked quickly, commandeering a nearby shovel and using his magic to dig up the well-traveled path as quickly as possible. Dirt flew every which way without care as he frantically reached deeper and deeper into the earth. This would work. It _had_ to work. He had to put an end to the day’s madness once and for all. Once deep enough, Rotten used his magic to toss the shovel away and out of sight. He dashed about and pulling over as many twigs and leaves as he could see, huffing and puffing for a moment afterward. He weaved the detritus together quickly and laid it over the opening to the hole in an attempt to disguise his trap. Oh, this had better work.

“Oh yes, I need to remember that hair appointment.”

Rotten looked up from his work.

“Oh! Oh, and I need to take that dress to the cleaners, too…”

He gasped. “Oh no, it’s Busybody!” the unicorn yelped. “She’ll ruin my trap!”

But he couldn’t stay here. If he was _right there_ when the hero fell in, everyone would know it was his fault. But he had to keep Ms. Busybody away or else everything would be ruined anyway! He scrambled to his hooves and hurried away. He couldn’t be seen anywhere near the hole. He would just have to guide her the best he could. Yes, that was it. He popped his head up over the wall just as the smoky-coated pegasus and her bright blue mane came around the corner, still muttering to herself about what she needed to accomplish for the day.

“No, no!” he whined when he realized she was heading straight for the hole. “I…uh…Ms. Busybody!” he called, hoping to distract her, deviate her from the path. “I have, uh, a question?” he called uncertainly. Oh, he had to think up something to say, didn’t he?

Or, maybe he didn’t need to. The pegasus, oblivious to Rotten’s calls, kept walking…straight into his trap. She let out a yelp of surprise as she fell and a beeping whine could be heard from somewhere nearby. He sighed and shook his head as he bit his lip in nervous agitation. There went that idea. Now what was he going to do?

“What was that?” he faintly heard Starberry ask from across the park.

“That’s my crystal,” the hero replied a little too loudly for Rotten’s liking. “Someone’s in trouble!”

Sportacus gasped and immediately took off toward where Ms. Busybody was still trying to figure out what had just happened. The purple unicorn watched in annoyance. It wasn’t _that_ big of an emergency. Did the hero _really_ need to do that many flips and somersaults on his way across the tiny park? He had _wings_ , for Celestia’s sake—if he was in a rush, couldn’t he just fly over?

“Oh no, Ms. Busybody!”

Trixie came running over when she heard the commotion, having been wandering the town bored after she lost Starberry’s soccer ball to that window. If she had known she would only get one chance at smashing things, she probably wouldn’t have left in the first place.

“What happened?”

“She fell in a hole,” Starberry supplied as she ran to the scene herself.

Sportacus quickly assessed of the suspicious hole. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

The mare looked up from where she was stuck in the freshly dug hole. She blinked when seeing Sportacus’ face staring down at her before frowning.

“Well I _was_ ,” she said sharply. “Who, may I ask, are you calling _ma’am_?”

The pegasi stared at each other, one belligerent, the other simply confused.

“Uh, hold on,” Sportacus said, deciding that focusing on the rescue was probably the best course of action right now. “We’ll have you out in just a minute. Are you hurt?”

“N-no.” The pony tried to pull her leg out from where it was wedged by her side. “But I _am_ stuck.”

Sportacus nodded, brow furrowing in determination. He looked up at the two fillies standing nearby, only peripherally aware of the other ponies slowly coming out to see what was happening. No one noticed the violet unicorn cowering behind a wall with his hooves over his head in absolute terror over how big of a production his original scheme had become.

“Trixie, was it?” Sportacus asked the young unicorn standing with Starberry. “You and Starberry go find me some sort of, uh, a hook or a ring, something we can use as an anchor for this young lady to grab onto.”

The two fillies nodded and raced off. Below, Ms. Busybody decided maybe the blue stranger wasn’t as awful as she first thought.

“Rope!” Sportacus called to the sky.

He took to the sky, flying upward a few feet to catch the coil that fell from the sky. The growing cluster of onlookers looked simultaneously impressed and bewildered by the stranger’s actions. It was at that point that Trixie and Starberry—now with Mayor Meanswell in tow—reappeared carrying a large life preserver between them.

“Sportacus!” Starberry called as best she could with the object in her mouth, “Will this work?”

“That’s perfect!”

He grabbed it quickly, threading the rope through the preserver and tying off a knot. He took a few steps back and tossed it over an overhanging tree branch.

“Alright, I’ll need help.”

“Oh, I’ll help!” Starberry quickly answered.

“Me too!” Trixie agreed.

“Oh my! Ms. Busybody!” the mayor cried with worry. “Oh of course I’ll help! Oh, hold on, my dear! We’ll get you out of there in a jiffy!”

“I’ll help! I’ll help!” tiny Ziggy cried from the crowd, running forward to find a spot in the line.

“Every little bit helps,” the hero said in thanks. “Alright. Ms. Busybody, get a good grip on that ring.” He waited until the mare signaled that she was ready. “Okay. Everyone grab hold and _pull_!”

The ponies all did as they were told. The fillies dug their hooves into the dirt for traction. It was slow at first, but Ms. Busybody was slowly dislodged from her prison and lifted from the hole. Legs finally free, she grabbed hold of the preserver for a better grip. Falling into a hole while taking a stroll was one thing, but falling back into said hole from high in the air was certainly another!

Sportacus’ ears flicked forward when he heard something that he did _not_ want to hear in a situation like this. He looked up in time to see the rope beginning to fray just a few feet from his muzzle. That was not good. And there wasn’t much time.

“Everyone keep pulling with all your might,” Sportacus yelled around the rope.

He readied himself. He would only have one chance and he knew the stallion and foals behind him wouldn’t be able to hold the weight themselves. Sportacus released the rope and leaped, grabbing the end of the rope as it finally snapped in two. Behind him came a chorus of surprised shouts as the weight that had anchored them disappeared. Sportacus grabbed for the other end of the rope with his wings, holding it tight just in time to avoid the ponies crashing to the ground themselves. Sportacus took in a deep breath and pulled tightly, pulling the ponies behind him back to their hooves before turning his full attention back to the poor mare still clinging to the life preserver. He beat his wings, pulling back on the rope to help Ms. Busybody clear the hole.

Rotten Robinsong had dared to look over the wall at the crazy scene before him. His jaw dropped as he watched Sportacus not only pull the mare from his trap, but also slowly lower her again to safety. The mayor helped her down, immediately fussing over her in obvious concern.

“Are you alright?” Sportacus asked as he landed.

“Oh, yes, thanks to you.” She smiled at Mayor Meanswell. “And your helpers, of course. “I might be a little sore in the morning, but oh, thank you so much!”

Sportacus beamed. “I’m just glad to help!”

“That was amazing, Sportacus! _You_ were amazing!” Starberry Splitz praised as the other foals raced in to get a better look at the mysterious hero.

“Ha! So were you, Starberry! Great job!”

“Yeah!” Ziggy cried, bouncing up and down. “That was so cool! You’re a really real superhero wow!”

“And you helped me out a lot,” the pegasus said to the tiny colt. “Thank you for helping!”

Ziggy gasped, only able to smile at the hero’s kind words. He covered his mouth in astonishment. “D-does that make me a side-kick?” he whispered to himself.

Starberry’s uncle stepped forward. “As the mayor of LazyFields, I would like to offer you an official thank you for your heroic services here today, Mister—uh…what is your name?”

The pegasus laughed. “You can call me Sportacus.”

“Ah! Yes, well, thank you, Sportacus, for all you’ve done today, and for saving Ms. Busybody from that terrible hole!”

“Yeah,” Pixel mumbled as they all inspected the pit. “…wherever it came from.”

Stingy looked over its edge. “I don’t know. But this is definitely _not_ mine.”

Rotten grit his teeth, glaring at the stupid, smiling hero. Everyone was cheering him, so thankful for the guy just holding a rope. Rotten’s plan had turned out to be a total disaster! He hadn’t gotten rid of the hero at all; he’d only managed to make him _popular_! _Now_ what was he going to do? At least it couldn’t get too much worse at this point.

“You know,” Starberry said with a smile as she looked over everyone who had turned out to help. “I thought what LazyFields needed was a party for it to feel like home. But…seeing how much everyone cares about each other when someone’s in trouble…feels ever better than I think any party could! I think living in LazyFields will be really nice. It’s already starting to feel like home.”

The mayor draped a leg over his niece’s shoulder and hugged her to his side. Ms. Busybody smiled fondly at the scene while the other foals looked at each other quietly. The hero flicked his tail and nodded.

“Me, too,” he chuckled, fondly remembering his own hometown.

The pink filly had a thought in that moment. She looked up at Sportacus with bright, eager eyes. “Would you like to stay?” she asked.

The pegasus blinked in surprise at the offer. “Oh, well…”

The hiding unicorn gasped, waving his arms back and forth in a private panic. “No, no, no! Don’t stay, don’t stay! Go _anywhere_ but here!” he growled.

“Will you?” Ziggy asked hopefully.

“Yeah, what about it?” Pixel asked hopefully.

“My town is the best! You’ll love it here,” Stingy added.

“You’re so cool, you’ve gotta stay!” Trixie pleaded

Sportacus looked at all the hopeful faces looking at him. He smiled softly, practically melting under the gaze of all the excited foals. He nodded and looked to Starberry.

“I think maybe I will.”

The entire group broke into an uproar of joy at the announcement. Ziggy was practically screaming as he bounced up and down. Robinsong felt like screaming, too. He cried out in dismay, clutching the sides of his head in emotional agony at this new development.

Sportacus, meanwhile, couldn’t help but laugh at all the hubbub surrounding him. He hadn’t received a welcome like this in a long time. And it felt nice.

“Come on, everypony!” Starberry shouted happily. “Let’s celebrate!” She giggled. “I have just the song!”

Rotten Robinsong growled, hackles raised as the awful pink thing started to— _ugh!_ —sing and dance in the middle of the park. They were…dancing. All of them. Dancing and singing and celebrating. Oh, what had he done? He snorted and, with a final glance at the jubilant frivolity before him, took off toward home.

 

*****

 A hero. In his town. A bouncy, active hero in LazyFields. Everything was ruined! Everything he had worked so hard to achieve was in danger! Oh why didn’t he just let the little filly get bored with the visitor and have him be on his way? That blasted hole was such a stupid idea! Having a hero in town jeopardized everything. His safety, his food supply, his very way of life! He fell into his orange chair, curling into a tight ball as he rubbed his cheek on the comforting material.

“This is bad. This is very bad,” he mumbled.

Rotten wallowed in his hopelessness for a few minutes before a frown slowly took over his face. He sat up in a sudden determined huff.

“This doesn’t have to be the end of the world! Why, just because he’s a hero doesn’t mean he’s out to get me! He doesn’t even _know_ about me yet! It’s not like he was trying to hunt me down or anything; it was just a horrible, terrible coincidence that he happened to be passing by in the first place! I just...I just need to stay low for a while, wait for him to get bored, and then he’ll leave! Yes! Yes, it’s perfect!”

Reassured of his safety, the unicorn settled back down in his chair with a content sigh.

“Come on, Sportacus!”

“Ooh, ooh! Pass it to me! I’m open!”

“No, it’s mine!”

Rotten growled, covering his ears as the sounds from above trickled into his lair. The yelling. The laughing. The _merriment_. He tried to block out the noise. He shoved his hooves in his ears and pressed his face into his chair. Nope, still loud as ever.

“Alright! That’s _it_! I am putting an _end_ to that _noise_! I’m fixing this _now_! I am going to get rid of that Sportaloony if it’s the last thing I ever do!” he shouted.

His previous plans already gotten, the unicorn leapt from his chair. He galloped over to his work bench, shoving every random knick -knack off of it. He needed a fresh start. He needed to figure out how to get the blasted hero out of his town.

**Author's Note:**

> This project is going to be SLOOOOOW to update. You have been warned. 
> 
> I don't actually have an ending planned for this meandering story, which is a rarity for when I post things on AO3. So this whole thing is a big experiment for me. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it.


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